The present invention relates to wearable electronic devices and systems, and in particular to garments comprising a fabric shell to which a plurality of electronic devices are removably attached, with one or more electrical conductors being connectable to at least one of said devices and extending therefrom.
An example of a garment of the type recited in the opening paragraph is given in U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,002 (Kuo et al) which describes a multi-functional garment comprised of an outer shell garment and a number of detachable modules, including heating, communications and display devices. Interconnection of the modules is by direct cabling between them.
A further example of a garment of the type recited in the opening paragraph is given in U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,700 (Sato) which describes a personal portable audio device in the form of a garment having a number of pockets for receiving components of the system. A pair of speakers for reproduction of the audio are provided in the left and right shoulder portions of the garment, with the wiring from the audio signal source component to the speakers being hidden within the garment construction.
The Sato patent illustrates one means for responding to a problem of interconnectionxe2x80x94namely the wearer of the garment becoming entangled in the wiring interconnecting the various modules or components. Hiding the interconnections within the fabric or construction of the garment itself can lead to further problems, however, in that the cabling or other interconnect media must be able to withstand repeated cleaning, whether dry cleaning or conventional laundry. Even in the case where the interconnection can withstand cleaning, incorporation within the garment makes it very difficult, if not impossible, to replace an interconnection that has become damaged or otherwise needs replacement.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a garment which addresses the problem of the user becoming tangled whilst at the same time making removal and/or replacement of interconnections relatively simple.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a garment comprising a fabric shell to which a plurality of electronic devices are removably attached, with one or more electrical conductors being connectable to at least one of said devices and extending therefrom;
wherein said conductors are provided, over at least a part of their length, with a fabric cover, and said fabric shell and fabric cover are provided with complementary connectors to enable said fabric cover and conductors to be removably attached to said garment.
The fabric cover, which may include electrical shielding material, acts as a retainer for the cabling to hold it to the garment body such as to reduce the chance of user entanglement, whilst still permitting detachment to facilitate removal and/or replacement. To further aid this, the fabric cover may be openable to permit the removal or replacement of one or more of the conductors: in such an arrangement, the fabric cover may be provided with further complementary connectors to enable re-closure following removal or replacement of one or more of said conductors.
Various connector devices and mechanisms may be used to provide the complementary connectors including, but not limited to, buttons and buttonholes, press studs or poppers, zip fasteners, and Velcro(trademark).
The fabric cover may carry cable terminating at one end in a pair of earphones (or headphones) for replaying audio to a wearer of the garment, with the fabric cover being so shaped, and the complementary connectors so positioned, that the said one end is attached to a collar portion of the garment. With the cover and its contents being easily removable from the garment, the user is enabled to upgrade or simply replace such earphones or headphones without damaging the garment.
Further features of the present invention are defined in the attached claims, to which reference should now be made, and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.